Stifling Defense Leads No. 10 Women’s Basketball to Dominant Win Against Grace
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Grace (9-9, 2-6) | 10 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 42 |
|
#10 Saint Francis (Ind.) (17-1, 7-1) | 20 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 72 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The No. 10 ranked University of Saint Francis women's basketball team earned their third straight win against Grace College on Wednesday, January 15. The Cougars defeated the Lancers by a final score of 72-42.
Isabella Gizzi made the first shot of the game, a three-pointer from the left side at the 8:38 mark in the first quarter. The Cougars led 9-6 with just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter. USF extended their lead in the period's final minutes with an 11-4 run, ending the quarter with a score of 20-11. Saint Francis shot 53.3% and came away with three blocks in the second quarter as the Cougars held the Lancers to just eight points en route to a 38-18 lead at halftime.
Saint Francis opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run for a 47-20 lead with 7:25 on the clock. Strong offensive and defensive efforts led the Cougars to outscore the Lancers 18-9 in the third quarter, as Grace was once again held under double digits. The Cougars continued to grow their lead, with senior Reganne Pate sinking a three-point shot to give USF their biggest advantage of the night at 37 points with just under a minute to play in the fourth quarter. Saint Francis would go on to win Wednesday night's matchup 72-42 improving their record to 6-1 in conference play.
As a team, Saint Francis shot 49.2% from the floor and 52.2% from deep. The Cougars also outrebounded the Lancers 38-30. Julia Mantyla led the Cougars with 19 points after making eight of her 10 shot attempts. The junior also led USF with four blocked shots while pulling down five rebounds and dishing out an assist. Isabella Gizzi finished the night with 11 points, two steals and a block. Cali Gregory also scored in double digits, finishing with 10 points and a team-high five assists. Abby Stoddard led in rebounds with eight, followed by Chloe McKnight with seven rebounds and five points.
Up next, USF women's basketball (17-1, 7-1) will travel to Spring Arbor on Saturday, January 18. The Cougars will return to the Hutzell Athletic Center on January 29 for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against Goshen College.
Cougar fans can stay updated on all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.
